Pembroke 'shocker': Wong wins All-State wrestling title

Brad Wong went from almost not showing up for the All-State wrestling championships to winning one. The senior became Pembroke’s first All-State wrestling champ, pulling off an improbable pin in the 106-pound final Saturday at Salem High.

Brad Wong went from almost not showing up for the All-State wrestling championships to winning one.

The senior became Pembroke’s first All-State wrestling champ, pulling off an improbable pin in the 106-pound final Saturday at Salem High.

“It’s really a shocker,” said Wong, who won the Division 3 state title Wednesday and the Division 3 South Sectional title the previous Saturday. “This week was so jam-packed, I was thinking of not even wrestling here. I was tired and fatigued, and all of a sudden here I am – All-State champ, and the first from Pembroke. It’s unbelievable.”

Saturday marked the end of one of Ledgerland’s better All-State showings in recent memory. Silver Lake’s Tom Grifa and Duxbury’s Jake Genereux reached the final at 145 and 195, respectively, before settling for silver.

Ten other locals finished in the top six to gain an automatic berth at the New England tournament Friday and Saturday at the Providence Career and Technical Center.

Wong’s chances of victory were not looking bright only a minute before he pinned. Lawrence’s Hector Reynoso was the aggressor in the first period and scored a two-point takedown with 14 seconds left. In the second period, Reynoso looked as if he was going to score another takedown.

But Wong didn’t lose faith. In a scramble situation on the mat, Wong (41-2) found himself with Reynoso on top of him.

“It’s one of my setups, actually,” Wong said of a rolling guillotine. “It’s more of a desperation move – my coach hates seeing me do it. Halfway through, I was readjusting myself and making sure everything was tight.”

Grifa, the next area grappler to take to the mat, didn’t look so thrilled to have the silver medal around his neck Saturday, but he put everything in perspective the next day when reminded that he was the second-best 145-pounder in the state.

“I can’t be mad about that,” said Grifa, whose only two losses – and only four takedowns allowed – in 45 matches this year were to Dracut’s Jim Ryan. “I have next year too because I’m only a junior, so I’ll try to win it next year.”

Grifa was not feeling nervous about facing Ryan, who defeated him at last year’s Division 2 states.

“Mostly I was pretty excited to be in the final because I had to beat the No. 1 seed to make it there,” Grifa said of Chelmsford’s Scott McQuaide.

No finalist has ever taken a path as unique as Genereux, who moved up a whopping four weight classes from 152 to 195 in a year. The senior weighs 184, but decided to compete at 195 instead of 182.

“It is a different game but the great thing is he brings those little-guy moves to the upper weights,” said Duxbury coach Kyle McCarthy, who noted Genereux (43-2) was a 112-pounder as a freshman. “That’s where he saw a lot of success. Those big, strong guys aren’t used to a quick guy. He’s great with a low single – unfortunately (Saturday), he just couldn’t get it.”

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At 170, Weymouth’s Sean Murphy was beaten by Hailer, 6-2, in the quarterfinals but battled back to take fifth.

No bronze medalist had to work as hard as Braintree’s Shawn Donahue. The senior lost his first-round match at 182, then won five times in the consolation bracket – the last three by pins that did not take more than 50 seconds.

Pembroke 285-pounder Kevin Beane was the South Shore’s other bronze medalist.

Plymouth South senior Shane Mulligan, who was pinned by Genereux in the 195 quarterfinals, finished seventh to become a New England alternate. To compete in Providence, one of the Bay State’s top six would have to scratch.